There are mods that address a lot of these: https://mods.factorio.com/mod/InfiniteOres

You could also automate base status reports via circuits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39eYYwwuqyw

Idk, fair enough I guess but it feels weird to skip the automation part of an automation game by having an LLM play it.

Yea, I also didn't like how the bot ignored belts and shuffled things through chests and inventory.

I agree though - skipping automation/scaling is a no go, that's why I play Factorio.